Sister's Keepers

by Belinda White

  Having a bedmate reading while I'm trying to get to sleep is kind of annoying. Something to work on. Jed had moved into the cabin just last month, so we still had kinks to work out. A work in progress, that's us.

  But for now, maybe something I could use. I turned from him so he couldn't see the big grin on my face.

  "Maybe we should divide and conquer? You could do the research trip to the library, and I could make the trip to the Laundromat to catch up our laundry. You're almost out of clean underwear, you know."

  Jed growled. He was actually pretty good at it for a human. Must be his mother's Benandanti genes.

  "You're shamelessly using my hatred of Laundromats to get out of going to the library?" he asked.

  Facing him again, I nodded. "Yup."

  He swept me up into a hug, laughing. "Just wanted to set the record straight that I knew I was being handled." He planted a firm kiss on me. Seems he didn't mind being manipulated if it got him out of doing laundry.

  When he finally came up for air, he looked me deep in the eyes. I don’t think my grin could compare to the evil one he was giving me now.

  "Just so you know, when this is over and we have time to shop again, I'm getting a washer and dryer for your workshop. No more Laundromats. You'll have to find something else I hate for a handle."

  "Hmm." I pondered for a minute. "Picking up the dog doo from the yard?"

  He grimaced. "You know me a little too well for my own good, I think."

  My grin just got bigger. "Likewise, Chief."

  Jed left for the short trip to the local library while I was still gathering clothes. The paper caught my eye as I was taking the last load out to the car, and I started to feel guilty about the poor shaved dog. Who knows what the little green dude's next move would be. Or who it would be done to. I was pretty sure he wouldn’t stick to dogs for long.

  That's wasn't even counting what Coyote might be planning. He took Jed's words about lasting power a little too seriously. I had a feeling his next trick wouldn't be a short-lived one. Hopefully, he would stick to his whole non-evil thing, though, and it would at least be harmless. I hoped the same would hold true for the leprechaun.

  Sighing, I dug out Rose's Christmas gift from last year. She had bought me an e-reader. One with a wireless network where you could download books direct to the reader. It would have been a great gift...for a reader. But Rose meant well. She was always trying to broaden my horizons.

  When she gave it to me, she showed me how to go online with Wi-Fi and find thousands of free books to download. I decided to be a sport and use the Laundromat's network to search for free faerie lore. Wouldn't Jed be proud of me?

  In minutes I was at the Laundromat and the washers were filled with all our dirty clothes, leaving me with a half hour or so of research time. Okay. I did a quick search for faerie and free and was amazed at the number of matches I got. I spent the rest of the half hour downloading all of my matches. Wow. Even if Jed struck out at the library, we were set. The weird thing was, some of them actually sounded interesting. This might not be so bad after all.

  The washers started kicking off, and then I was kept busy transferring clothes from the washers to the dryers. The usual folding and stacking followed that, and within an hour I was back at home. Jed had beat me.

  He met me in the driveway and helped me carry in the clean clothes, inhaling deeply. I knew the feeling. That clean clothes smell was one of the all-time best smells in the world. As we put the clothes away, he told me about his trip.

  "I'm afraid I didn't have much luck at the library," he said. "Most of the books they have were old children's fairy tales. Grimm and Anderson mostly. I did find one illustrated book on faeries that looks interesting, but that's about it. I really think the fairy tales I got are pure fiction rather than folk tales. I mean, I'm not sure how the tale of Snow White or Cinderella is pertinent to our situation here. We may have to make a trip to a bigger library that has a large folklore selection."

  I couldn't help but feel very proud of myself. Just think, I'd had more luck than Jed and got the laundry done to boot. He should totally clean up the yard for this.

  "If I could figure out a way to save us a trip to the big city, how's about you volunteering for yard duty?"

  His eyes snapped to me. "I'll take that to mean you somehow got your hands on what Rose had us looking for?"

  Hmm, not a yes, but then he did hate yard duty. "At least agree to share the yard duty?"

  He nodded. "Fair is fair. My dog eats and poops, too, you know."

  "True." I kept putting away clothes. Building up to my big proud moment.

  "Spill," he said, "or I'll only agree to hold the bag."

  I grinned. He wasn't a big believer in delayed gratification.

  "You remember that e-reader Rose gave me for Christmas? Well, come to find out there are bunches of old faerie lore books and articles that you can download for free. It's loaded for bear now." I stopped, thinking. "What does that saying even mean, anyway? You always hear people say 'loaded for bear' but does anyone really understand why they say it?"

  He shook his head at me and pulled me in for a quick hug. "I love you, you know."

  I tilted my head at him. "You love me for gathering research or for asking silly questions? And I'll take your evasion for proof that you don't know what it means either."

  "I love you for being you. The research is just a bonus. And actually, I believe the saying is talking about hunting and what kind of ammunition you have in your gun. Bears are big and pretty hard to stop, so if your gun is loaded for bear, you're pretty much ready for anything you might come across."

  I nodded. Made sense.

  Too bad my e-reader was loaded for bear and not for faerie.

  Chapter 3

  IT SEEMED LIKE WE HAD been reading forever when Jed finally declared that we had enough information to call a meeting of the pack. He had taken over the e-reader, being much more proficient with the thing. I had spent the afternoon reading the illustrated book on faeries he had picked up. Surprisingly, it was really loaded with a lot of useful information. The pictures were nice, but as they were drawn from imagination rather than live models, we probably couldn't count on the faerie folk looking anything like the ones in the book.

  We gathered our notes and the e-reader, stopped off for a couple of large vegetarian pizzas, and headed to Rose's house. Coyote was sitting on the front porch when we got there with two six packs of diet soda by his feet. He grinned at Jed as we walked up the sidewalk.

  "I was hoping for an invitation to join you guys. It's been ages since I've had pizza," Roy said.

  Jed shrugged. "It's okay by me. But Rose's decision rules, you know. Her house."

  "Agreed," Roy said. "I'll knock and ask."

  The knocking was still a novelty for him. He seemed to enjoy it. Especially the look on Rose's face when she answered.

  "Hello, Rose," Roy said. "Jed said it's okay with them if I join your pack meeting. As long as it's okay with you, that is."

  She glanced at us, then nodded slowly. Probably wondering where the old Coyote was hiding and how long we could keep this model. "Actually, we could probably use your insight on this. And it would be good to establish a few ground rules with you as well."

  Roy grinned over his shoulder at me. "Before long, I'll be a bona fide member of the pack."

  Luckily he didn't require an answer from me. I'd hate to ruin his good mood with a don't count on it response.

  We gathered around the square kitchen table with our pizza and Roy popped in his chair.

  "Maybe I should leave the chair here since we're going to be working together on this. Would that be okay, Rose?"

  Rose shot me a puzzled glance. I could tell Coyote's new behavior was freaking her out. I inclined my head toward Jed and gave a half shrug. She got it. Her face cleared with a smile.

  "That would be fine, Roy. It can sit beside the fridge when you're not here," she said. "And it was right nice of y
ou to knock and come in like a friend tonight, too. Thank you."

  Roy ducked his head. "No problem. I'll try to remember to keep it up. But sometimes I might forget myself. I've been popping in places for a really long time."

  Rose smiled and patted his arm. "We'll work with you. You'll get the hang of it in no time, dear."

  Okay, now I was getting freaked out. Rose calling Coyote dear?

  I let Jed be our spokesperson during dinner as I concentrated on stuffing my face as usual. Rose and Lily's vegetarian house rules usually were a bummer, but on pizza it was okay. Give me tomato sauce, cheese, and mushrooms and I was good to go. Of course, I wouldn't have turned down sausage and ham, but I could live without it. At least for one meal.

  "Basically, the first thing I learned is that faeries have the ability to cast what is known as a glamor. They make us think we are seeing one thing when we are really seeing something totally different," Jed said.

  I nodded. "That was in my book, too."

  "Is there any way to see through the glamor?" Lily asked.

  "As a matter of fact, there is," Jed answered. "A couple of the old stories I read mentioned the fact that there is an ointment of some kind that one can rub on one's eyes to be able to see through all faerie illusions. Unfortunately, no one knows what is in the ointment but the Fae themselves. So duplicating it would be impossible."

  Oh, I had this one. "The book I'm reading had a story about a girl who could see faeries because she had unknowingly picked up a four-leaf clover. Maybe the old good luck charms hold the key here."

  Rose looked thoughtful. "There is usually a reason why something is seen as bringing good luck. Maybe the four-leaf clover is thought to be lucky for just that reason."

  "Where are we going to find enough four-leaf clovers for all of us?" Lily asked. "I mean, I've only found a few in my whole life."

  "But how many times have you actually gone looking for them?" Rose asked.

  "Well, never really that I can remember. I usually find them as a fluke. Just there, you know?"

  "Exactly. If we spent a day really searching for them, surely we would be bound to find a few. We only need four." Rose looked over at Roy. "I'm assuming, of course, that you can see through the faerie glamors?"

  "Yup. One of the pluses of being a godling."

  "Okay, so having four-leaf clovers will let us see what the Fae doesn't want us to see. Will that help us catch the leprechaun? Or send him back where he belongs?" I asked.

  "Probably not," Jed said. "But it will allow us to recognize him if we see him. Right now, he could literally be anyone we meet, and we would never know it."

  "Good point," Roy said. "I would know him, but I can't be with all of you all the time."

  I glanced out the kitchen window. It was dark already. The days were getting longer, but it was still getting dark too early for a night-time clover hunt.

  Jed followed my gaze. "It's too dark tonight, and I'm not sure flashlights would work. Tomorrow's Saturday, so why don't we plan a picnic lunch at the park and search for the clovers then?"

  Everyone agreed. Of course, we had no way of knowing what tricks the night would bring.

  LUCKILY FOR US, SATURDAY morning brought a significant increase in temperature. While nowhere near the temperatures of late spring, it sure beat the lingering winter weather we had been having all month. Mid-March in Indiana can mean anything weather-wise. The rule for Indiana is this: if you don't like the weather here, just wait until tomorrow. The nice thing is the saying works both ways, for good or bad.

  This day, however, was one of the good ones. Wearing short, light jackets and jeans we all met up at the park. Well, I say all of us. Actually, two of our pack members were missing in action from this clover hunt. With Maggie so close to her puppy delivery date, Rebel and she had elected to stay a little closer to home. They were enjoying the beautiful day in the backyard, watching for squirrels and protecting the house from leprechaun tricks. Which brought up a good point. We might need clovers for them as well.

  Stymied for a way to knock in the woods, Coyote made sure to make plenty of noise as he walked through the trees towards the picnic table. I had to hide my grin. He really was trying.

  Rose glanced up at him. "Coyote! I'm glad you decided to join us. We got so caught up in faerie lore last night, I didn't get the chance to bring up those ground rules I wanted to discuss."

  Roy stopped short of the table and gave her an uneasy look. "Ground rules?"

  "Yes, ground rules. If we are going to be helping you out with your leprechaun problem, it seems to me that we need to come to an agreement. I was thinking something along the lines of Trickster immunity for the pack."

  "Trickster immunity?" he asked.

  My appreciation for Rose went up a notch. And here I'd thought it couldn't go any higher. "What a wonderful idea, Rose. I think that would be a fair concession for a friend and honorary pack mate to make."

  "Honorary pack mate?" Roy asked. "For real?"

  I glanced around at the others. One by one they nodded. I'd expected Jed to be the holdout, but he was the first to nod.

  "Looks like it's unanimous," I said, grinning.

  Roy sat at the table, switching his gaze back and forth between me and Rose. He seemed to be confused. What was there to be confused about? Our pack was pretty awesome if I had to say so myself. Totally unique and one of a kind, for sure.

  "I'll have to think about it," Roy said finally. "On the one hand, I'd love to be a member of the pack. I've never belonged to anything before, and I've been around a really, really long time."

  He shifted his position and gave Jed an imploring look. "On the other hand, you guys are my favorite people to trick. I mean, not many people know who to give the credit to, you know? It's nice to be appreciated for what you do."

  "How about being appreciated for what you don't do?" Jed asked.

  Roy shook his head, serious as a heart attack. "Nope. It's just not the same," he said sadly. "I'll consider your proposal and get back with you."

  He disappeared.

  "Hey," Lily called out to the thin air. "I thought you weren't doing that anymore!"

  "Sorry," a voice called back. But he stayed out of the visible realm. Of course, that didn't mean we could count on him being really gone. Too bad clovers wouldn't work on a godling. Which brought my mind back to the present quest.

  "So," I asked, "what's the game plan? Do we split up, or grid out an area and search under each tall piece of grass for the elusive four-leafed plant?"

  "I'd say both," Jed answered. "Maybe go two by two and each group take a different section of the park. There's no way we can cover the whole park, but we might double our chances if we spread out a bit."

  "Sounds good to me. Lily and I will take the clearing behind the playground," Rose said. "Where are you and Taz going to search?"

  "How about the wolf cave area? There's a pretty big clearing in that direction, too."

  Jed nodded. "Okay, let's go." He started leading the way, then stopped to look back at Rose. "By the way, did either of you hear of any pranks in Spencer last night? I didn't see any in the paper."

  "Neither did I, and there wasn't anything on the news, either. Maybe they are taking a break?" Rose asked.

  "What if the leprechaun has already gone back to the Faerie world? We could be doing this for nothing," Lily said.

  Rose shook her head. "Coyote has his sources. He’d tell us if the leprechaun wasn't in our world anymore. Besides, according to my family's journals, faeries are kind of like cockroaches, there's always more of them around than you can see. I think a four-leaf clover each is a really good idea. Though we need to start thinking of a way to preserve them."

  "Gotta find 'em first. And unfortunately they smell just like the three-leaf variety, so I don't have an edge," I said. Taking Jed's hand I started pulling him along. "Come on, Chief, let's go play in the clover."

  Lily giggled. "Just remember to watch out for poison ivy."
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  Jed stopped dead in his tracks. I was beginning to wonder if he was deadly allergic to ivy or something. Which would be really weird for an outdoorsman like him. Then he pointed to the ground, speechless.

  I followed his finger and caught the speechless bug. Rose and Lily came over to see what we were staring at.

  There in the clearing just off the paved pathway leading from the playground to the campground and wolf cave area was a tiny green garden of four-leaf clovers. Thousands of them.

  Chapter 4

  WE SPENT THE BIGGEST part of an hour digging up the clover field. It pained Jed to do something so illegal. So we made him turn his back on us and keep a look out for rangers. Bottom line, the clovers would keep better if they weren't picked. Of course, each one of us picked one immediately and put it in our pocket. Rose was still brainstorming how to preserve them so that we could carry them around without them dying and possibly losing their power.

  I figured since we had so many, a few experiments wouldn't hurt. "Remind me to thank Roy when we see him next," I said. After all, we had no doubt who we owed for our good fortune. But then again, he had agreed to work on this as partners. Why we hadn't just thought to ask him to point the way to an unnatural lucky charm garden, I don't know. Luckily, he created one anyway.

  We did the best job we could to restore the clearing to its previous appearance. I even promised Jed that we would buy some grass seed and come back and sow it. He took me up on it. So while Rose and Lily took the miniature garden back to their house to begin experiments, Jed and I planted grass.

  Then we headed back to Rose's to see how she was coming on the wearable clovers.

  Rose is very crafty. Her first model involved gluing a clover to the back of a necklace pendant, so that the clover would be in constant contact with the skin, as long as the necklace was worn under our clothing. None of us could think why this wouldn't work, so our prototype was done. She quickly made up three more and passed them out. It was up to Jed and me to glue one on the backs of Rebel and Maggie's collars.